The team left Gaya, India and arrived in Pune on Saturday. Pune is about a four hour drive from the big city of Mumbai, up crowded, winding roads. Here in Pune, the team is helping run a children’s home called Hope of Glory. We get the kids up in the morning (6:30 or 7:00) and prepare them for school. Then we lead worship and a devotional for the children’s home staff. In the afternoon, we do chores around the home and have crafts and Bible lessons or songs with the younger kids. When the older children return from school and choir practice, we repeat another Bible lesson with lively songs and skits after we have dinner with them. At the end of the evening, we read the kids stories and tuck them into bed.

The kids call us all “Auntie,” “Dee-dee,” and “Uncle.” They speak English and are happy to talk to us and to show us their new dances they’ve learned. They love to cuddle up for story time or just because. They’ve stolen our hearts!

Today is a national holiday — Republic Day. All over the city, people are dressed up and waving the Indian flag. We are helping the kids come up with a program to perform for another visiting team from the US — they want to put on a fashion show, dance, and do some skits!

Tomorrow, some of the girls are going to a brothel to spend some time with the women there. We’re going to bring them a gift of soaps, lotions, and cookies wrapped up in a nice towel and tied with a bright ribbon.This is the same brothel that our DTS team visited in 2008, when they got to bring a young girl out of the brothel to live at the children’s home. (This girl is still living at the children’s home, learning English and doing well in her studies! She’s very sweet and smiles all the time.)

We’re looking forward to Saturday’s “Christmas in January” for the kids. Thanks to people who have contributed to our “Spoil the Orphans” fund, to the SWIM group at Grace Community Church in Texas, and the students at Christian Heritage School, we are going to make this a “Christmas” the kids at the children’s home will never forget!

Please keep praying for us that we’re able to make a lasting difference in the lives of the children and women we meet. We also want to be a blessing to the handful of staff who run the children’s home. They’re very dedicated — working with the kids from 6AM to 11PM every day.